Book: ii "Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights"

Well I've finished it! Yes it is an empowering read. Even though still 'fresh' published in 2020 clearly events race ahead:

• 
  COVID-19 continued to assert its life-suspending and life-ending presence, which even now is ongoing;
• Global (geo-)politics continues its unpredictable dynamic across all continents;
• The oceans, atmosphere - biosphere no less, also await the outcomes of COP26 this year.

As the book closes with a critique of populism I think the volume is deserving of a revised edition - when the time comes. Until then, there is a great deal here. I looked back on the chapter on Global Health Law: Legal Foundations for Social Justice in Public Health. The UK news today made me wonder for everyone: what is social justice? From the BBC: [ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56924131 ]

"New laws that could leave flat owners facing bills for fire safety measures are "indefensible," say Grenfell Tower survivors and bereaved relatives.

The Fire Safety Bill is aimed at making homes safer following the 2017 blaze, in which 72 people died."

 Far from the global context I know, but the last chapter prompted the connection:

"The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have sought to incorporate state protections against abuse by business, establish a "Protect, Respect and Remedy" framework for corporate obligations, and facilitate accountability through greater access to effective remedies for those who are harmed." p.452.

I am guilty, as surely the vast majority of us are, of referring to 'human rights' without having much depth of knowledge. One book a legal professional and crusader does not make. But this text helps. There is an irony in the passage of time since publication, as you the reader have some extra pieces of the jig-saw to fit in. There really is hope!

The Afterword resonates loudly as if written yesterday. Calling for those involved in the struggle to self-care and tend to their resilience and the welfare of their fellow practitioners. The first lesson of first aid remains salutary and critical.

More to follow...

Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights. (2020) Lawrence O. Gostin and Benjamin Mason Meier (Eds.), Oxford: OUP. ISBN: 9780197528303.